William p



(No Model.)

W. P. HUMPHREYS.

SUPPORT FOR DRBDGING GONDUITS.

No. 417,187. Patented Dec. 10,1889.

Wo ar 0121027167 N. PETE'RS. Ph0ll Lllhngmphnn Washington. D. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM P. HUMPHREYS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO CHARLES DODGE, OF l/VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SUPPORT FOR DREDGlNG-CONDUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,187, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed October 1, 1889. Serial No. 325,645. (No model.)

the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to devices for supporting the discharge pipe or conduit of a dredging-machine, and has for its object, first, the provision of a positive and continuous rest or support, both on bottom and sides, of the sections of pipe or conduit resting upon the pontons or floats; second, the provision of a support for the connections or joints of such pipe occurring between such sections and lying over the spaces between the pontons; third, by reason of the provisions of the two preceding sections the provision of a continuous support for the pipe throughout its length; fourth, the provisions of a'swivelconnection in the supports between the pontons, so that these supports can be moved, turned, or swayed, as desired, or as occasioned by wind and water, and remain directly under or tangent to the curve or joint of the pipe; fifth, the provision of means whereby the connections may be made rigid and all turning obviated; sixth, the provision of means whereby the pontons or floats may be set and held on any curve. desired.

The general objects, with minor objects and functions, which will be obvious from the construction and functions of my invention, are attained by means of the construction hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of a line of conduit extending from a dredge-boat to the shore. Fig. 3 is a section across the conduit between the pontons. Fig. 4 is a plan View of ends of two adj oining pontons, showing the connection between them. Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views showing modified forms of holding means. Fig. 7 is an edge View of the connections between the pontons, on an enlarged scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in all the figures where they occur.

Y is a portion of the dredge-boat, and Z is the shore or reclaimed ground on which the soil is to be deposited.

A is the conduit or discharge-pipe, which may be of any required size and construction. It is formed after the usual manner in sections A A, which rest upon pontons or floats, and provided with either flexible connections A or joints A between the said sections. I prefer to have a flexible section at the union of parts nearest the boat and one at the point nearest the shore, while the intermediate connections may be of any character desired. As shown in the drawings, and as forming the construction and arrangement which I i prefer to use, two shorter pontons are used nearest the shore or embankment, and the first joint, which occurs between the two short pontons, is formed by means of a short section of flexible pipe, and the connection between the second short ponton and the first long ponton is formed by means of a universal joint.

The support for the sections of pipe upon the pontons is formed by means of troughs or jackets B B, which partially surround the conduit and lie snug up under and around it. These troughs may be provided with braces or stays b 1) upon the sides, and are bolted to the pontons. These troughs or jackets may be made to cover more or less of the circumferential area of the pipe, and may be made either of wood or metal, and the details of construction may be varied according to the character of the material and the demands of the particular situation. \Vith this snug rest for the sections of pipe over the pontons there will be little or no chafing or movement of the pipe upon the pontons and no chance for sagging or breaking in the lengths.

Between the pontons the supports or rests C C are provided, which serve not only to 10 or rough water.

connect the pontons in a manner to relieve strain upon the pipe but also support the pipe-connections between the sections resting in the troughs or jackets. The rests or 5 supports O are pivoted together as shown I or at least tangent to, the curve or bend of the pipe.

Then it is desired to hold the pontons rigid, I employ locking-bars 0 0 which are pivoted to one support and may be fastened in any convenient manner to the other, as by. projections and pins, shown in Fig. 6, or bylpins alone, as shown in Fig. at. By means" of the holes and pins in the bars they may be caused to swing from either extension, and may also be made of unequal length, so

as to give some curve or angle to the relative position of the pontons; but to produce the best effect I place the stays or bars upon the pontons themselves, as shown in Fig. 5, ex-' 0 tendin from onton to )onton roviding 3 o 1 them with a series of holes, through any one of which a pin may be inserted to hold them to the deck of the ponton. By the use of these long bars I am better enabled to set the pontons on a curve by lengthening the distance between them on one side of the support and shortening it on the other, and the pontons will be held rigidly at whatever curve they are thus set,or by adjusting them 40 to the same length on both sides the pontons will be held in a straight line.

When one pin only is placed in the bars 0 c at each end, and the pontons are held at equal distances apart on both sides, a certain amount of play will be allowed to the pontons.

The connections or extensions of the pontons beneath the pipe-joints may be made to conform to the form of joint or connection used. WVith the universal joint these parts will be bowed, as shown at the middle joint of Fig. 2, and with the flexible sections they will be nearly or quite straight.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A ponton for dredger-condnits, provided with a trough or jacket, in which the conduit lies and by which it is supported and braced at bottom and up the sides.

2. A ponton for dredger-conduits, provided with a trough or jacket extending continuonsly its entire length, in which the conduit rests and by which it is supported and braced at bottom and up the sides, as set forth.

3. A ponton for dredger-conduits, having a jacket or trough for receiving the conduit, and an extended support at the ends for sustaining the connections of the conduit-sections, as set forth.

4. The combination of two or more pontons provided with end supports or extensions, as C O, pivoted together, as set forth.

5. The combination of two or more pontons having the end extensions or supports pivoted together and provided with locking-bars, as setforth.

6. The combination of two or more pontons having end extensions pivoted together for supporting the intermediate sections of pipe, and adjustable locking-bars for holding the pontons in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

WM. P. HUMPHREYS.

WVitnesses:

I. N. KALB, O. G. BUHRMAN. 

